Tag Archives: world cup 2010

Paul the Octopus is Eight for Eight

Paul the Psychic Octopus was right. Again. Aside from wondering why more people aren’t dropping to their knees in worship, I gotta say I was hoping for a Netherlands victory.

Yes, I sided against Paul. Maybe it’s a character strength, maybe it’s a character flaw: I don’t accept fate as dictated to me by someone else, even if it is a mystical denizen of the coral reefs, a cephalopod with strange powers. I prefer to base my hopes on desired outcomes, and not likely outcomes. That way I’m working towards my own goals, and not someone else’s.

This has worked out fairly well for me so far, but not in terms of World Cup predictions.

Paul the Octopus vs Mani the Life-Coach Parakeet

Paul the Octopus.
Mani the Parakeet.
The mysterious, crushing ocean depths vs the exotic and deadly streets of Singapore.

The World Cup 2010 final is really about which of these animals is right… and which must go back to his day-job.

Paul the Octopus asserts that Spain will win the final match. This same move– backing Spain– made Paul a pariah in Germany, to the extent that his aquarium had to organize extra security. Oh, how the fans changed their tune, though, when Paul (correctly!) picked Germany to win the small final. Don’t hate the cephalopod, hate the game.

Mani the Life-Coach Parakeet is saying that Paul is full of shit, and that Netherlands will win it all. Mani is a career fortune-teller, though his experience in professional sports is admittedly thin. Still, lots of people in Little India, where Mani lives and works, believe he has the skills to pay the bills.

So, which of these beaked beasts will prove to have the more powerful precognition? I’ll tell you what, I’m not going to miss this match for anything.